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Nisqually Glacier Crevassing

September 16, 2001

After five days being glued to the television watching a nightmare in New
York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania, I needed to get into the mountains.
Though we talked about another all-night marathon, my heart wasn't in it. We
opted for a casual day on the Nisqually instead.

We walked the Moraine trail rather than paved trail, and that saved us
several hundred feet of lost elevation on the approach. I was shocked at how
much snow and ice had melted off since I was there on August 11. The last 45
minutes of the approach was pretty miserable. With the usual snow fingers
completely gone, we were forced into the loose rock and dirt.

There was less climbing to choose from, too. We ended up setting only two
top-ropes, but we took several laps on the first, and the second was an obscene
overhanging thing. It started just past vertical to a decent rest, then kicked
back to what we estimated as not more than 40 degrees past vertical, but not
less than 25 (it is hard to judge...)

Jens works a stem on our first line.

Jens pulling hard on the overhanging section near the top.

Me on the first line. And, yes, I am wearing two right-foot
gaiters.

Me working for a no-hands rest.

Jens on the back side of the overhanging serac. Our TR was set at
the arrow. Neither of us was able to climb the overhang, which was steeper than
what is visible to the left.

Unicorn Peak, of the Tatoosh Range, on the left, with Mt. Adams
in the background.

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